The present invention relates to a method for transmitting a message from a first to a second telecommunication terminal, of which at least one is connected to a line-connected telephone network, and a telecommunication system for carrying out this method.
In mobile radio networks operating according to the GSM standard, communication via short messages on the basis of the standard provided therefor has become successfully established in addition to the (of course, far dominant) voice communication; in particular, with regard to considerable cost advantages. In addition to the cost advantages, message transmission by SMS (short message service) also has utility value advantages in specific applications. Thus, reception and sending of an SMS can be achieved without an acoustic annoyance for the environment, and the transmission of short messages also affords additional expression and psychological articulation possibilities compared with voice communication.
SMS is a point-to-point short message service which is achieved in the context of the GSM protocol architecture at the signaling level. It includes the transport of packet-oriented useful data from and to mobile stations. The short messages are always transported via a short message service center (SM SC) in store-and-forward operation. The service center accepts the short messages, which are not more than 160 characters long, from a mobile station as telecommunication terminal and forwards them to a second telecommunication terminal, a further mobile station or else a fax unit or the like.
The GSM standard defines a specific protocol architecture for achieving this service. This architecture is defined in the ETSI specifications and is adequately described in the literature (cf. for instance, J. Eberspächer, H. J. Vögel: “GSM Global System for mobile communication”, Stuttgart, 1997), so that a more detailed description can be dispensed with here and reference may be made to the appended list of standards/documents.
In the existing public line-connected telephone networks, such a transmission of short messages between normal telecommunication terminals (e.g. telephones) is not possible at the present time.
The present invention is, therefore, directed toward a method and a telecommunication system which enable the transmission of short messages according to the SMS model in a line-connected telephone network (fixed network).